Truly Fantastic
Since playing the last Civilization I have found the new one to be better on so many levels I don't know where to start.
Lets start out with the basics. After installing the game I saw the option to run the tutorial. Being a vetran to the game I decided to check it out first. This is a godsend to newcomers. You open up with a starting map and good ol' Cid Meier comes on the screen. He walks you through step by step on how to build a civilization (right down the keystrokes!) This tutorial is perfect for the newcomer of the series.
After peddling through most of the tutorial I started up a new game and was greatly pleased with the much larger selection of Civilizations and leaders. This game is all about bonuses. Not only does your chosen tribe start with their custom attributes and special units but the individual leaders (sometimes a civ can have more than one choice for a leader) have their own stats to bring to the table.
Coming from Civ3 (a game that was taxing to play even at cheiftain level) you have what I call the noobstart (also known as settler level). I picked the Germans and started to work on my civ. Getting underway I was expecting more of the same: more units, more technologies and more stuff to confuse the player... I was plesantly surprised by the lack thereof.
True the game does have more of the forementioned but the pluses come from the way they are presented to the player. Suggestions for units and technologies actually give you a fairly good idea of why the AI chooses them for you. Another HUGE plus to the game is the locater that pops up for both workers and settlers. Now you can find the best spots in which to set up towns, build mines, add cottages (nice to see tiles with commerce boosts in the game too!)
The biggest oogling I did came when I started building my military. I gathered some units and sacked a barbarian town and looked at my option screen to see a real gem of a surprise. Instead of my unit going to veteran status I now had the option to "Upgrade" my unit with various enhancements such as +10% strength, +25% when attacking cities and so on. Now the player can customize each individual unit and continue to build them up just like an RPG with experience points. This really makes things fun to set up specialized armies in which to dispatch your foes and on the defensive side, repel intruders.
One element that had me a little worried when reading the previews was the integration of specific religions into the game. This aspect just adds to the fun and intrigue of the game. With specific religion you can get on the good side of your rivals if you happen to share the same belief system. Likewise you can annoy them if you follow a "heathen belief". You can send missionaries to spread the good word and win over neighboring rivals.
Another thing to add to the list is the introduction of specialized citizens. These guys can boost a town by completing research on an undiscovered technology, trigger a golden age, create a work of art to skyrocket your towns culture or even build specialized "wonders".
I know this sounds like a lot for anyone to digest but again Civilization 4 feeds you these things in easy to digest bite sized pieces. The list of improvements over the others could go on for ages but I strongly reccomend you pick up this title to see for yourself... Oh yeah and Leonard Nimoy (Spock) does alot of the narration in the game (bonus!)